2027: Wike, APC Governors’ Battle Over Rainbow Coalition Deepens
The political battle surrounding the Rainbow Coalition has taken a new turn, with Federal Capital Territory Minister Nyesom Wike challenging two influential governors over their opposition to the cross-party political arrangement ahead of the 2027 general election.
Wike has singled out Imo State Governor Hope Uzodinma and Kwara State Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq amid the growing disagreement over the coalition and its place in the emerging political calculations for 2027.
Uzodinma chairs the Progressive Governors’ Forum, while AbdulRazaq heads the Nigeria Governors’ Forum, giving both men significant influence within the country’s governors’ blocs.
Wike said opposition from the two governors goes beyond concerns that the Rainbow Coalition could destabilise the ruling All Progressives Congress, promising to disclose what he described as the real reasons behind their position.
The disagreement has increasingly become part of a wider debate over political structures, party loyalty and control of grassroots machinery ahead of the 2027 elections.
The Rainbow Coalition promoted by Wike seeks to bring together politicians from different political parties who support President Bola Tinubu’s re-election without necessarily requiring them to join the APC.
That strategy has, however, generated resistance within sections of the ruling party.
APC governors recently declared that their campaign structures would work exclusively for candidates presented by the party, effectively distancing themselves from political arrangements that could strengthen candidates contesting on rival platforms.
Uzodinma, speaking on behalf of the Progressive Governors’ Forum, said the governors would not participate in arrangements capable of weakening the APC or undermining its candidates.
Wike has rejected suggestions that his coalition poses a threat to Tinubu’s re-election campaign.
The former Rivers State governor maintains that his principal political objective ahead of 2027 is supporting the President, arguing that politicians outside the APC who are willing to work for Tinubu should be accommodated within a broader electoral alliance.
He has also insisted that he is not answerable to APC governors, stressing that he remains a member of the Peoples Democratic Party despite serving in the Tinubu administration.
The dispute has become particularly significant because the Rainbow Coalition is attracting politicians dissatisfied with political developments in some APC-controlled states.
Reports indicate that politicians associated with the coalition are emerging in states including Kwara, Gombe, Cross River, Rivers and others, creating concerns among some APC stakeholders about the potential impact on the party’s candidates.
The central disagreement appears to revolve around whether politicians should be permitted to support Tinubu for president while simultaneously working against APC candidates in other elections.
For the APC governors, supporting candidates from rival parties could weaken the ruling party’s structures and create competing political centres.
Wike’s position is different. He argues that securing support for Tinubu from politicians across party lines could broaden the President’s electoral coalition without necessarily interfering with local political contests.
The dispute has consequently transformed the Rainbow Coalition from a cross-party mobilisation strategy into one of the major political issues emerging ahead of 2027.
Wike has previously accused Uzodinma and AbdulRazaq of working against him and questioned why the coalition should be regarded as a threat when its declared presidential objective is supporting Tinubu.
He has also argued that voters are capable of distinguishing between presidential and other elections, rejecting concerns that supporting candidates from different parties could necessarily confuse the electorate.
The APC governors, however, have emphasised party discipline and the need for campaign structures to support official APC candidates at every level.
With both camps maintaining their positions, attention is increasingly turning to how the competing political structures will operate as preparations for the 2027 elections intensify.
Wike has promised to provide further details about why he believes Uzodinma and AbdulRazaq are strongly opposed to the Rainbow Coalition, potentially opening another chapter in a dispute that has already exposed significant differences among political figures supporting the Tinubu administration.
